The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-02-11
ATrip From Birmingham, Alabama, to Now
Orlenns-A Ginnce Mt tho Character OF Z
tho Country Tsaressea-Attrae,lon. n
lI OF Several Spots In tho South. !,
Special Correspondence Of the iu.,,tfo,,,c.,,

ham road} and Mr.. John Garth, OF Haani
bal, Mo-, one OF Mr.. Hcsrno's old partner
in the tobacco business. 7
Altogether they formed pleasant com.
pany oi intelligent gentlemen and bust.
neas men, and Of course tho trip was high.
| ly agreeable. .Es.s =
Our route was over the Louisville and
Nashville road to ,New 0rieaus, Tho L,
4 N. Is the most important road in the
South, and extopds from Cincinnati, yio
Nashville, Decatur, birmingham, Mont,
gcmery and Mobile to New Orleans. Il
does by far the gresier portion Of the iron
business at Birmingham, both in tho mat.
ter OF local transportation TO and from tho
ore and coal mines to the furnaces, and
| also in the hauling Of the pig iron to the
Ohio river markets. - t14.gI -
leaving Birmingham at 4 in the after.
noon wo passed down across the so.callesl
"black belt" or cotton zone OF the State,
III the night, stopping at Montgomery, the
provisional capital Of the Coniederacy,
only hall an hour, and arriving ut Mobile
at hall past 2 in the morning. Hare our
cas was switched Of from tho regular train
In order to lay over Tor II daylight run
along the Gull coast to New Orleans be-.
hind a special engine. This engine wa eot
at in the morning, and we also got az a
fellow passenger Mr.. ]. 7. Harshau, the
General Manager Of the Louisville l. Nash
Vile system, who waa once In charge Of
the Mobile Il New Orleans division, and
the tiret mau who ever made it pay. His
car and our own was drawn over this part
OF our journey by hespecisl engine.
REGULARITY OF THE COUNTRY.
A glance at the map will chow the ps.
culiarity OF tho country between Mobile
and New Orleans. The distance ia III
miles, and the country is for the most part
Hand and pine woods, interEec!ed by
bayous, swamps and inlets from the Gulf.
Il Is very poor country indsed, and the
local business is therefore light. But
there are number Of winter and summer
resorts on tho line, not counting Mobile
and Now Orleans, (the two most import
anti, such places IS Ocean Springs, Biloxi,
Pass Christian and Bay st. Louis. They
are winter resorts for Norihernene and
summer reaosts for Southprners. being all
upon the waters OF the Gull and romantic
ally sl.uated in the pine woods.
at the Psscagoula river We stopped of
to see the company'e works for cIeosoting
its rlno log bridge timber. It was
iound IN order to protgcs tho piles 4ha.
support their numerous bridges on this
division against the inuects thst bore and
honey-comb them that they mus. exude
the sap Of the logs and infiltrate their
hber With creosots. This ia done by
heating the logs in long iron beiler-shap-
Ell cylinders, and then by hydrostalic
pressure iniusing cleosote. The lilo OF a
pile subjected to this treatment ia length
ened out many years. IN
At Pass Chhristian, which is the princi-
pal rssort on tho coast ior New Orleans
people, and also for Northern sojourners,
We were met by several carrisges that
had cama down to tho depot, on Mr..
Harahan'e telegrsphic requisitiop, to lake
US ior drive along the shore over the
Shell road. Pass Christian has water
front OF about eight miles, end the drive
way ia a beautiful white shell road along
Which there il q constant succession OF
beautiful villas and cottages belonging
mostly to Now Orleans people who puni-
mer here. Thia shell road is Il broad
oyster shell macadan drive way, hard
and smooth and as level as a floor, over
which the one horse carriages (holding
four people) that are in vogue here roll as
easlly as do the best turn outs over the
asphaltum streets Of Washington City.
Great wide spreading live oak trees, re-.
sembling elms. bedeckea with gossamer
webs and psndnnta OF moss, sbade the
drive way and form II vista aloug the
avenue Of 3 very attractive character in.
deed. This. vis!!ors Of our party were
really charmed..at this semi.tropical
scene OF villas, gardens, magnolia trees,
shell road and overhapging live oaks.
More than enc was heard to say as we
drew up at the Mexican Gull hotel, The
best hotel, perhspa, in the South outside
OF Florida, that they were already hall re-
solved 10 come down and sojcusn awhile
at Pass Christian next winter: y ,gi
| ATTRACTIONS OF, PASS CHRISTIAN. ..
Next to the she!l road and the grounds
and trees OF Pass Christina, its bath houses
attracted attention. ThDy are unique
feature Of the town rs a watering place re-
sort. They are situated away out in tho
water st distance oil two aud three hun
dred ysrda from the water limo that laves
the candy besch, and are reached over
board walks upon the top Of piles. Every
villa almost has ita own walk out to It's
OWL bath house, aud ineide theee houses
there is pair Of utepo that descend into
the water, down which the batfars 20 to
take their plunge Qnside picket OF piles
that ecreens them from view) into the salt
water Of the gull. They 20 out thnn far
in order TO reach sutlicient depth Of
water. The hotel has q eanopied and
epacious piazza al eighth OF mile out
from shoro whore it's guests 50 to fab or
read or to get the sea breezs. or in the
further distance you can SEQ the Chand-
lier islands and on clear day ths famous
quarantine station known as Ship Ialand.
You can also see the oyster boats out at
tho islands gathering the delicious bivslves
that are used so profusely and sold 80
cheaply along the coast.
What I have said OF Pass Christian ap.
! plies to considerable, extent to Bay St.
Louis five miles further on to.
wards New OrlsanB. 1t is very
much the samo sort OF resort, but
not go extensive or 60 elegant. The rail-
road CROSSES an arm OF the gulf before en-
tering tho town that is two lniles wide,
and the track is laid upon u piled viaduct
more e1tensiye and imposing by far than
the one that spans "Gnnpowder" river be.
tween Baltimore and Philadelphia. iy5
Here are cars were halsed for an hour at
dinner time in order that We might enjoy
our lunch free from the viba.ory annoy.
ance Of rapid transit, Eu:h as we had un-
dsrgone tho evening before when skim
ming along at thirty miles an hour be-
tween Birmingham and Mobile. Tho day
was warm, brjght.a beautiful and really
the white linen roundabouts OF our COOK
and hts assistant seemed better adapted to
tho climate than our heavy winter cloth
ing. IA s. 1
s}!E NATURE OF THE COUNTRY. >.
tits about sixty miles from Bay St. Louis
10 New Orleans and the county changes